Builder's Library

What, ask architects Max Jacobson,
Murray Silverstein, and Barbara
Winslow, makes a good house
— one that is "supportive,
vibrant, and appealing to both the
intellect and the senses"? The
answer, they say, can be found in
what they call the theory of contrast.
The Good House is the
authors' attempt to set forth their
ideas on contrast as a contribution
to design theory, and to illustrate
its application by practical examples
drawn from their own work
and that of other architects.
In general the authors believe
that good houses are satisfying
because they contain contrasts at
all levels of scale, linked together
by transitional elements. A horizontal
lintel supported by a round
column and linked by an ornate
capital serves as